That Too

Friday features the much anticipated return of everyone’s favorite bidirectional set of eyes!

Transcript

Nate: What did you want to talk about?
Aya: The obvious. Rose is my best friend, after all.
Nate: Ah.

Aya: I guess I just don’t understand what motivates you here. I know she went a little over the top with the whole stripping thing, but that’s just how Rose deals with things. You have to realize how frustrated she was.

Nate: You know, I’ve been doing the best I can with this thing. I probably would have just put up with it if she hadn’t done that, but I can’t have her putting me in positions like that.

I can’t help but agree here… I know Rose has put up with him for some time while getting denied at nearly every corner, but I knew a few women back around her age in high school that made it a mission to get guys like this to bend rules and break more, and then once they did, turn around and ‘rat’ them out. It was like a game to them, so I can kind of see why Nate is doing things the way he is, as much as I don’t like HOW he is doing them.

Maybe it’s cause I’m a guy, but I don’t see what he’s done that’s so wrong. Rose is acting like a selfish brat who’s whining because someone is actually saying no to her. Aya is worried about Rose’s feelings but I honestly haven’t seen one instant where Rose was actually concerned about HIS feelings.

I can’t help but support him in his decision. (But then again, I’m a guy, so I might be missing something here)

I’m a guy too, but I don’t really think you’re missing one darn thing. The artist is very good at writing for a teenage personallity. All actions here seem perfectly appropriate to the character’s age.

Protagonist here seems like a fairly balenced -adult-, and Rose seems like a fairly typical teenager – thinking only about him in so far as it affects her, and attempting to manipulate him into doing what she wants.

There is another possibility, (it’s a little out there and maybe too sap-happy for this comic, but still possible)

Maybe it’s possible that Nate (despite his personality) honestly wants a serious relationship, and thought that if Aya was serious about “them” she would be willing to wait that long. Maybe that length of time would be too much for her to full on commit to, but I don’t even think she even tried for him.

So yeah like my original statement makes sense: Nate could very well believe that Aya only sees him as another man to sex her up.

I think Nate is actually behaving in a fairly adult and mature manner. He set limits between them, one of them being that they were simply friends and nothing more. If any potential future relationship between them were to happen, she had to pass a certain age, which is still another year away. It’s not an issue of him caring or not, it’s an issue of consideration towards another person. Yes, it sucks for her having to wait, but she’s the one insisting on waiting around. He’s allowing her to stick around, spend time with him, get to know him better, etc. He’s been kind and friendly, but not sexually encouraging. The way I see it, he’s done everything she could want from him, besides fuck her. And I don’t think that trying to force the issue by stripping in front of his roommates is the most convincing argument for the level of her maturity and respect for him, herself, or anyone. If he wants a relationship with an adult rather than a spoiled child, good for him.

I like Aya, but in this instance I think she’s being even less mature than Rose. Sure, your friend’s feelings got hurt. Your friend did it to herself, and shouldn’t need someone else to go clean up the mess she put herself in. Trying to force Nate to see it from Rose’s side isn’t going to help. So she’s frustrated from being thwarted. Welcome to life.

Of course Rose needs someone else to clean up the mess. She’s lost way too much face to do it herself. The only other option would be to leave the mess the way it is, and apparently the two girls don’t want to do that. And that’s what friends are for. I think. (I honestly don’t know, since I only use my friends for entertainment.)